Stranded flood victims in Ha Tinh on verge of running out food

Basic supplies have run out for families who have been stuck on roofs for three days.

While the rain has reduced in recent days and the floods have started to recede in most places affected in Vietnam's central region, flood levels in Huong Khe District (Ha Tinh Province) are continuing to rise. Water released from the Ho Ho hydropower reservoir in central Vietnam is believed to be the culprit. In picture: People in Phuong My Commune (Huong Khe) stand on the second floor of a local school waiting for flood relief supplies.

Authorities in Ha Tinh have sent ramen noodles and water to the communal office in Phuong My for distribution.

Severe floods caused by heavy downpours and sudden releases from the Ho Ho hydropower reservoirs have so far left at least 21 people dead, 8 missing and many injured. In photo: A communal official receives supplies from the rescue team.

The rising water has transformed roads into canals and homes into small islands, in some cases with only the roof or the windows peeking out above the water. People have no electricity, no food, no clean water and are desperate for basic supplies.

A local receives supplies from a rescue worker, saying that her family has suffered big losses. "We tried to bring three of the family's buffalo to higher ground to avoid the floods, but all of them were hit by trains and died," she said.

The house of Nguyen Thi Lieu, 64, a local inhabitant,was submerged by the floods. Lieu and her family set up a small floating hut nearby to shelter.

Lieu's husband and son are victims of Agent Orange - a herbicide used by the U.S. military during the war. "We need food and clean water. If the water continues to rise, I don't know what we will do, I'm scared we will be washed away," said Lieu.

A tropical low pressure system hit central Vietnam on Thursday, bringing torrential rain and strong winds. The rain combined with the water discharged from the hydrostation to cause severe flooding in Quang Binh, Ha Tinh and Nghe An. As of Sunday, the flood had killed four and submerged over 24,000 houses in Ha Tinh.